The present invention relates in general to assembly of powertrain components including a plug-in constant velocity joint, and, more specifically, to a power tool and the provision of mechanical features on the powertrain components for engaging the power tool to ensure complete coupling of the components via a snap ring interlock.
Propshafts (e.g., driveshafts and half-shafts) are used in motor vehicles to transmit rotational power between various powertrain components, such as between a transmission or a power transfer unit (PTU) at one end and an axle or a rear drive unit (RDU) at the other end. Each connection of the propshaft to another powertrain component may typically include a constant velocity (CV) joint. To facilitate the assembly process between a CV joint and the other powertrain component (e.g., a PTU, RDU, or axle), a plug-in CV joint has become commonly used as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,784,220 and U.S. patent application publication 2014/0121029A1, for example. In a plug-in CV joint, conventional threaded fasteners are replaced by a self-connecting interlock such as a snap ring or circlip which automatically engages when a splined shaft of one component (e.g., of a transmission) becomes fully inserted into a splined bore of the other component (e.g., of the CV joint).
During assembly of a powertrain on an assembly line in a vehicle assembly plant, a propshaft component having a plug-in CV joint on one or both ends has typically been manually attached with the mating powertrain components. A fixture known as a moon buggy supports and aligns the powertrain components as the powertrain is assembled on a subframe for subsequent integration with a vehicle body. Depending on the component sizes, manufacturing tolerances, and other factors, the manual insertion forces may sometimes be undesirably high for a manual operation. Moreover, a manual verification of the successful coupling together of the components may sometimes be difficult to perform. It would be desirable to provide a robust verification of the interconnection without manual intervention.